Guare & Baraka to Take Part in Provincetown Williams Fest

The Second Annual Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival will take place on September 27th through September 30th. Following last year's debut, this year's festival announces the appearance of poet playwright Amiri Baraka as well as playwright John Guare.

"Under the name of LeRoi Jones, Amiri Baraka wrote the play Dutchman in 1964 and in doing so, changed the American theatre radically. He is invited to Provincetown as part of the festival to share his vision of Tennessee Williams as forever provocative and political. Additionally playwright John Guare, of Six Degrees of Separation success, will discuss the inspiration he received throughout his careerfrom Mr. Williams' work. Currently, Mr. Guare is writing the introduction to the new re-issue of Tennessee Williams' Camino Real," state press notes.

A theatrical event like no other, this year's festival trumpets Williams startling unknown work – from science fiction to laugh-out-loud farce to scalpel-sharp self-examination. The 2007 festival will debut the world premiere of Williams' short play, Sun Burst, written in 1980. This unpublished play will be paired with The One Exception, a text completed by Williams in January 1983, a few weeks before his death.

In addition to performances of Williams' unknown work, the festival will highlight new work created especially for the festival by an international gathering of playwrights, film-makers, choreographers, musicians, poets, sculptors, acrobats and drag queens – all inspired by Tennessee Williams. Additionally, the festival will focus on the role of women in Williams' work. Featuring performances directed by women, original work created by women writers, choreographers and performance artists, the festival will continue to celebrate Provincetown's cherished diversity.

This year's schedule of performances, curated by David Kaplan, will highlight dance, performance art, live music, dramatic performances and original films. Events will take place in various venues across Provincetown including the spectacular views from MacMillian Wharf. The programming focuses on the rule-bending writing Williams created after he turned 60, in 1971. Williams' experiments late in life channel his early exposure to the avant garde art scene in the late 40's in Provincetown. Several programs will highlight Provincetown in the 1940's including an homage to performance artist Valeska Gert, performed by Julie Atlas Muz. A Valeska biographer from Berlin, Susanne Foellmer, will also speak and show Valeska footage from the 1920's to the 1970's.

This summer there will be several fundraising events and parties at various locations in Provincetown. A highlight will be Friday, August 24th when actor Jeremy Lawrence plays a benefit performance as Williams himself in the critically acclaimed one-man show Everybody Expects Me to Write Another Streetcar at the Provincetown Theater.

The Second Annual Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival, September 27 – September 30, 2007, celebrates the life and work of one of America's foremost literary figures, Tennessee Williams, and his relatively unknown deep connection to Provincetown. The four-day Festival features Williams' work in various genres including film, dance, poetry, photography, music and plays.

For more information, as well as Festival passes, single performance and special event tickets, please visit: www.twptown.org or call: 1-508-487-9793 or 1-800-791-7487. 

Photo of John Guare by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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